Method of producing assembling fixtures



Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orrice STANLEY E. BOYN TON, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OENEW YORK,N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METHOD OF PRODUCING ASSEMBLING FIXTURES Original application filed March 6, 1929, Serial No. 344,882.. Divided and this application filed 1930. Serial No. 432,385.

This invention relates to methods ofproducing assembling fixtures, and more particularly to a method of producing fixtures for accurately positioning irregular shaped members while they are being assembled with other parts. v

' This invention is a division of my copending application, Serial' No. 344,882, filed March 6, 1929 for which Patent No. 1,815,23d was granted July 21, 1931.

The assembling of irregularly shaped parts such ashorns of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,852,793 grantedto D. G. Scrantom, April 5, 1932, necessitates the use of an assembling fixture which will, accurately align certain of the parts with other parts to be assembled therewith. Ordinarily, the cost of producing such assembling fixture is comparatively great due tothe fact that it is necessary to have highly skilled workmen who must be exceedingly careful to align properly the parts of the fixture and secure them in place.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and eflicient method of producing assembling fixtures.

Accordingly one embodiment of this invention contemplates producing such assembling fixture by shaping a ma or member approximately to a desired conformation, se-

curing therein a plurality of positioning members having slots cut therein, placing in the slots a master form of the exact shape and size of the member which the assembl ng fixture is to hold, and thereafter pouring molten metal or other moldable material.

around the sides of the master form in the slots, permitting this metal to harden, and

thereafter removing the master form.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing wherein.

Fig. 1 is a plan View of an apparatus for securing a plurality of parts in fixed relation while they are being permanently secured to each other, certain parts being broken away for the purpose of clarifying the disclosure;

March 1,

Fig.2 is an elevational view or the apparatus shownin Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 3+3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows. i

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, the numeral 4 designates a member which is formed insubstantially the shape of a section of a tapered spiral, to which side members 5 and 6 are secured in any well known manner, A plurality of members 7+7 having dove-tailed slots 88 adjacent the inner ends thereof are secured to the member 4 by plurality of rivets 99 positioned at opposite sides of the dove-tailed slots 8. vMounted inithe members 7'7 adjacent the outer ends thereof are threaded posts 10-10 secured in'the mem bers 7-7 by means of pins 1111. The upper ends of the posts 1010 are threaded to receive wing nuts 12-12 for moving chan nel shaped clamping members 14 along the posts 10, a hollow conical washer 1515 being interposed between the web of each of the clamping members 14 and the nut 12. Each of the clamping members is slotted at 1'.

to permit the passage therethrough of the .ly positioned thereby in amanner such that the corner strips 1919 of the master form are positioned in the dove-tailed slots 88 of the positioning members 7 If the slots 88 are in perfect ali nment, the strips 19-19will rest on the bottoms of the slots throughout their length, but ordinarily'the inaccuracies of the slots will cause the strips to bespaced from the bottoms of the slots as indicated at 21 in Fig. 3. The, master form having been placed in this position an easily fusible metal substance preferably that known as Babbitt metal is poured into the clove-tailed slots 88 and caused to form about the corner pieces 19-19 of the master form. After the Babbitt metal has solidi fled in'the slots the master form is removed, leaving a member 20 of Babbitt metal in each of the positioning members so shaped that a line drawn through them will follow exactly the conformatipn of the corner strips of the master form.

It is believed that a clear understanding of the features of this invention will become more apparent from the following descripion of the use of the apparatus. In assembling irregularly shaped articles a clamping device for holding the articles is oftimes re-.

quired: this is particularly true in assembling the parts of the plywood horn described and claimed in the patent to D. G. Scrantoin, above referred to. A device of the character described hereinbefore was devised for fulfilling such a want and is used in the following manner. of the horn, having been formed and treated to retain their desired conformation which corresponds exactly to the shape of the herein described master form, are placed in the gr oves formed by the master form in the Babbitt metal members 20. Glue is then applied to the corner pieces and a sheetof plywood cut to a desired shape, but not formed to follow the spiral'conformation desired, is placed over the corner pieces and clamped thereto by means of the clamps 14 and held in place thereby until the glue has completely dried, whereupon the wingnuts 12 are loosened and the spring 16 will force the clamps lv to the conformation of a master form, in-

dividually securing in said member a plurality of spaced recessed members, positioning the master form in spaced relation to the base member, and molding to each of said recessed members a positioning element recessed in predetermined alignment with adjacent positioning elements.

2; A method of forming a fixture for posit-ioningarticles to be assembled, which consists in preliminarily shaping a base member approximately to the conformation of a master form, individually mounting a plurality of spaced recessed members on the base mem- Q ber, placing a master form of the desired conformation m the recesses, and molding 1n The wooden corner pieces the recesses and around the master form a plurality of positioning elements recessed in alignment with the desired conformation.

3. A method of forming a fixture for positioning articles-to be assembled, which consists in preliminarily shaping a base member approximately to the conformation of a master form, securing in the base member at spaced intervals a. plurality of recessed members, positioning a master form of the desired conformation in the recesses, molding in the recesses and in engagement with the master form metal positioning elements recessed in alignment with the master form, cooling the positioning elements, and removing the master form.

4. A method of forming a fixture for positioning articles to be assembled, which consists in shaping a base member approximately to the conformation of a master form, securing in the base member a plurality of recessed members, positioning in the recesses a master form of the desired conformation and having a depending portion narrower than the recesses, allowing thedepending portion of the master form to unrestrainedly position itself with respect to the transverse dimension of the recesses, and molding in the recesses and around the depending portion of the master form a plurality of positioning elements recessed in alignment with the desired conformation. I

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this twentieth day of February A. D., 1930.

STANLEY E. BOYNTON. 

